SWISS ALPS GET EUROPE’S HIGHEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE

The latest tourism crowd puller of Switzerland might be scary and make you fearful of heights but when you get to see the fantastic view, you will know what true beauty is!

Enjoy being on Titlis Cliff Walk, Swiss Alps, the highest suspension bridge in Europe, swinging to and fro mildly at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level. The visitors get to see the indomitable beauty of south-facing Mount Titlis in central Switzerland. Feast your eyes on lovely expanse of encompassing hills, catch glimpses of Italy, and just lower your gaze into the abyss lying more than 1,600 feet below!

According to Peter Reinle, a spokesperson representing Titlis Engelberg ski resort, on the inaugural day of the bridge, the weather was far from favorable and yet the top representatives from 15 countries decided to hold out against the snow storm and low visibility to attend the opening session.

Ursula Beamish, the spokeswoman for Switzerland Tourism expects the bridge to draw big crowds during next summer when the visitors will want to put their fearlessness to test at such a height. She went on to add that the agency was hopeful that the bridge would entice large number of visitors to the country. According to Reinle, the public response to the bridge was truly overwhelming.

At a place where you can expect snowfall during summer and wind could blow in excess of 120 miles per hour, the concept of building a suspension is not without doubt.

According to Reinle, it was a bold decision. A thoroughly professional mountain construction company started the bridge construction work in July. The project was estimated to cost $1.6 million and cable cars were employed to transport most of the materials needed for the construction. Helicopter services were deployed to transport bigger material. Thanks to the site of the project, it had to be ensured all along that the bridge under construction was robust enough to bear the onslaught of not just strong winds but heavy snowfall too.

As per Reinle, the bridge was easily expected to last for another 1,000 years, the biggest test of strength being around 500 tons of snow that could settle on the bridge during heavy snow fall. He added that the bridge was safe from all points of view and it was least likely that anyone could fall off the massive creation.

According to Reinle, the Titlis Cliff Walk has been able to take all the snow until now, but the resort officials have been keeping a close watch on the snow collection and will attend to the sprucing up task as and when necessary. When the Mount Titlis car becomes functional, the bridge will be open to public and the return ticket of $90 to the mountain includes the cost of walking on the bridge.

The Engelberg-Gerschnialp cableway celebrates its 100th anniversary with the inaugural session of 320 ft. long and 3 ft. wide bridge that oscillates mildly when visitors walk on it.